Are you considering starting a home improvement project? Is there an area of your home that could do with extra care and attention, or are you looking into selling your home in the new year? Of course, improving your home before selling could help increase its value. How much the value could rise will depend on the home improvements you make. Some improvements could help to increase value, whilst others could help it sell quicker.
If you are keen on improving your home, carefully planning for the outcome will help you increase your chances of a successful project. Keep reading to find helpful tips for preparing your home for an improvement project.
Know Your Vision
As mentioned, careful planning is key to increasing the chances of a successful project. Starting with a simple factor is knowing what your vision for the project is. If you are planning on renovating the spare room in the house, decide what the room’s purpose will be once the work has been completed. Will it be a guest room/home office space? Is it going to be solely a guest room or a home office? Or will you turn it into a chillout space for yourself or a playroom for your children? Knowing what the room’s function will be can help you decide what you want the end look of the room to be.
After deciding on the function of the space, you can begin to plan the colour scheme, aesthetic and overall theme for the space. You might want to keep the room neutral by using neutral colours and tones. Or you can brighten the space up with bold colours and wallpaper to add character to the space. When you know what you want for the area, you can look into furniture, design plans and costs, amongst other things.
Think About Long Term
Once you know your vision for the space, think about the plans in the long term. Think about how long you plan to keep the newly renovated space the way is once the work has been completed. If you have plans to redecorate it in a couple of years, you might reconsider how much you invest in the materials used. Additionally, if you are looking into knocking walls down to create a bigger space or updating the windows and doors, think about how long you plan to live in the property.
Major renovation work comes with a high price tag. If you plan to put the property on the market shortly after significant renovation work is expected to finish, see if the money invested in renovating will help increase the property’s value. Renovation work can help increase the value, but you might need more to cover the funds used in renovating the spaces of your home. Instead, think about how long you plan to live in the property. If it is your forever home, any renovation work will be a worthwhile investment.
Assess Your Funds
On the topic of costs, of course, there will be costs involved in a home improvement project. How much you spend depends on what you intend to do in terms of sourcing materials, the scale of the project and hiring support. All of these can quickly add up to create a costly renovation project. Before starting, assess your funds thoroughly to see what you have available to invest in renovation work. Keep in mind that you might encounter hidden costs along the way, such as repairs and damages to sort. Ensure that your funds cover the main costs and still have funds available for emergencies.
Alternatively, ask friends or family if they are willing to offer a loan to help you cover the costs included in the renovation project. You might even want to look into the short term loans from Sunny as a potential option. There are plenty of choices available to help you ensure that you have the funds to complete the renovation project you had in mind.
DIY vs Professional Services
One factor worth considering when assessing funds is deciding who will complete the renovation work. If you change the wallpaper, paint the walls and add a few shelves to a room, you can save money and complete the work yourself. However, if you are looking at more extensive work, such as expanding spaces or rewiring parts of your home, then consider investing in professional services.
Of course, it is possible to complete more demanding work yourself. It should only be completed if you feel confident in your abilities. Although completing a project yourself can help you to save by not having to hire a professional, it could lead to further issues later down the lines. Issues that could be costly. It is worth investing in professional services to bring peace of mind that work has been completed correctly.
Create Realistic Timeframes
A common pitfall many need help to avoid is regarding timeframes. One issue is that some need to be more optimistic about how long they believe a project will take to complete. Others might not factor in potential delays that can occur. When planning a renovation project, ensure that you create a realistic timeframe for how long it will take. Think about when work will be done and by who. How many hours in a day will be spent on the renovation project, and how often in a week? Is it just one person completing the work, or will there be a few? These are all factors that could influence the timeframe.
As you create a timeframe, keep in mind that unexpected issues could cause delays, just like with hidden costs. Ensure that your timeframe can be easily tailored to meet the change in plans. Doing so will help create a seamless (as possible) renovation project.
Working Around Disruptions
If you work from home or have young children, consider the disruptions to your life that a renovation project can bring. Will the renovation work be completed during the week or at the weekend? Decide how you will work around the disruptions that renovation work causes. You might have to work in a new part of the house, wearing headphones to block the noise or asking to work from a friend’s home for a week.
Those with children will have to look for ways to keep their young ones away from the rooms being renovated. It could be spending time with a relative whilst work is being carried out or taking them out for the day so they are away from work. Keep these factors in mind when planning out your timeline for the completion.
Ready For Renovation
With plans in place, you can begin taking steps to start the renovation work on your home. Ensure you are patient with the process, as it will likely take longer. Once the main work has been completed, you can begin looking into furniture for your renovated space. Finding the finishing touches helps to make the space feel complete. After completing that, you can fully embrace your newly decorated space. It will be the space you had envisioned having during the early stages of planning the renovation project.
